Re: 8i/9i teaching notes/tips needed.

Richard Foote wrote:

> Hi Alex,
>
> Welcome to the club !!
>
> Instructing can be very rewarding but it can be very draining and hard
> work
> as well. Some simple tips:
>
> - Be yourself. Some people fall for the trap of pretending to be someone
> they're not. Let *your* personality shine through. You either have the
> right
> personality to grab people's interest and attention or you don't.
>
> - Don't be afraid of the "I don't know" questions. They're going to come.
> How you deal with them governs your credibility. Some people fall for the
> trap of giving any old answer, no matter how crap or incorrect it
> might be.
> Perfect way to dig your own grave. Be honest, make a note of the question
> and chase the answer up in a break. If you keep your commitment and come
> back with the correct answers, you gain both the students respect and
> trust.
>
> - Have fun !! By that I mean don't be overly serious and try to enjoy the
> whole experience. If the students perceive you are comfortable and have a
> sense of fun, they will follow suite. A course shouldn't be like
> eating dry
> muesli (good for you but hard to swallow) so add heaps of milk. But don't
> stray from the real you.
>
> - Be aware of PowerPoint and student notes. Use them as a guide and tool,
> don't use them as a crutch. Speak *your* mind, provide *your* opinions and
> experiences, adlib as much as possible and demo and show what you feel is
> appropriate. If the students perceive it's *you* that's teaching them and
> not the notes, again, you gain their respect.
>
> - The Introduction. This is the most crucial part of any course. This is
> your opportunity to determine the mix of class, their experiences, their
> strengths and weaknesses, their reasons for attending the courses, the
> areas
> of most or least interest and the fundamental question of what they
> want out
> of the course. Every course I teach is 'customised' to some degree
> based on
> what I learn at this stage. I have a range of techniques to suz this
> out of
> them.
>
> - Review "Games". I had a whole range of games, competitions, activities
> that I get the class to participate in, generally as a review exercise of
> what has already been covered. Firstly, as the instructor, you need to be
> comfortable in attempting some of these things. If it's just not you,
> don't
> even attempt them. The idea of the exercise is to reinforce in a *fun*
> way,
> concepts that are key to moving on. Many students have commented that
> it was
> only after these activities that they finally "got it". If you want to
> learn
> some, let me know.
>
> - Questions, questions and more questions. At the start, I always
> encourage
> questions and comments from the students. Questions are *key* in the
> running
> of a course because it provides the students with the opportunity for
> vital
> clarification and it provides you with a vital mechanism to see how
> they are
> faring. The more 'interactive' the course, the better the flow and the
> more
> the students will take away. I challenge them to ask me a question I can't
> answer and I threaten them with questions of my own in case the course
> becomes too one-sided. Only once in my career have I run a course where I
> had too many questions.
>
> - Know your stuff. At the end of the day, you have to know your stuff to
> teach successfully. And not just what might be within the notes, you also
> need to understand related and associated stuff as well. The courses
> which I
> hate to teach are those for which I'm not fully prepared (the term "New
> Features" still sends a shiver down my spine). If you're uncomfortable
> with
> the material, it will generally show. Thoroughly review the material
> and go
> through all the exercises to ensure there are no surprises.
>
> - David Bowie. A good dose of classic DB and the class will be putty
> in your
> hands ;)
>
> Good Luck
>
> Richard
>
> "Alex Ivascu" wrote in message
> news:3DD1BA51.3000108_at_ivascu.comNOspam...
>
> >Greetings. I hope that there some of you out there, that are currently
> >teaching Oracle. I'm about to embark on a new adventure - obviously,
> >teaching Oracle 8i and/or 9i DBA and PL/SQL.
> >
> >So... any notes and/or tips from either instructors or students would be
> >great!!
> >
> >Greatest regards.
> >
> >--
> >Alex Ivascu
> >
>
>
>

Richard... I really thank you. That helps a lot.

All the best.

--
Alex Ivascu